Sunday, January 13, 2008

The lovely sandwiches shown above were a hit at my mom's New Year's Eve potluck party this year, and I'm sure you can see why. Not only were they cute and colourful, but absolutely scrumptious as well!

Credit must go to my aunt Kati, from Toronto, who makes these sandwiches every March (or is it February . . . ?) when she flies to Edmonton and hosts an annual Oscar party celebration at my parents' house. Well, 'gathering' might be a better word, since attendees usually consist of my mom, my aunt, and one or two of my mom's friends. Either way, Kati had the right idea with these little nibbly morsels. They are simple and fun to make and sure to be a crowd pleaser.I helped my mom build and/or assemble the sandwiches before her party, and here is a breakdown of what we did:

We used a dark rye and a french baguette, but you can use the type of bread of your choice. The baguette was sliced fairly thickly, and each piece of rye was cut into quarters (for daintiness, of course). Then we layered on the following toppings (in order, from bottom to top of sandwich):

Egg and Caviar on ryeModerate spreading of butterPiece of romaine lettuce2 or 3 slices of hard-boiled eggGenerous mound of caviar (we had two kinds - one was black and one was red - but since I'm not a caviar expert, I'll leave it up to you to choose one that you like)

Smoked Salmon on ryeThick layer of spreadable goat cheese (or cream cheese, for those who can have it)Messy pile of smoked salmon or gravlax (it's nicest if you make a really large pile, with a well in the middle)Mound of capers (placed in the salmon well)

Prawn on ryeThin spreading of mayonnaise or aioli2 or 3 cooked prawns with shells removed (larger prawns are better!)Larger clump of mayonnaise (on top of prawns)2 very thin slices of lemonLarge sprig of fresh dill

Vegetable on baguetteThick layer of spreadable goat cheese2 or 3 thick slices of cucumber (peel removed)1 thick slice of tomato2 or 3 thin slices of radishA few leaves of fresh mintSalt and pepper

4 comments:

Gorgeous photos Alisha - I love all the colours and patterns. Definitely glamorous. I also love the descriptions of how to pile everything up. I could happily eat piles of gravlax with caper wells in the middle all day long... Thanks for the recipes.

About WeDine

It all started with friendly Friday potlucks as beleaguered design students in search of a home-cooked meal, and upon graduation evolved into Wednesday Dinners, a mid-week refuge from work. After a few months we realized we were improving and had begun to think of food in new ways. We wanted to document these successes (and sometimes, failures) – and thus was born WeDine.

Here's how it works: each Wednesday, we discuss our current cravings, take inventory of what's on hand, meet at a market to gather fresh ingredients which will complete our improvised menu, and finally head home to cook together.

(Oh, and by the way, we now document all our food loves and adventures here!)